Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, Game 3, Cairns: Australia 267-5 in 50 overs (S Smith 105, M Labuschagne 52, A Carey 42no; T Boult 2-25) beat New Zealand 242 all out (G Phillips 47, J Neesham 36, F Allen 35, M Santner 30; M Starc 3-60, C Green 2-25, S Abbott 2-31) by 25 runs.
At least it’s not the one-day World Cup just around the corner.
The Black Caps were swept in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy 3-0 by Australia after losing the final game of the series by 25 runs in Cairns on Sunday night.
Requiring 268 to salvage some pride and a rare victory over their trans-Tasman rivals away from home, New Zealand were dismissed for 242 in the final over.
SKY SPORT
Kane Williamson was dismissed in ugly fashion as his side collapsed and lost the second Chappell-Hadlee Trophy ODI against Australia.
A shambolic run-out of Kane Williamson which left the skipper uncharacteristically fuming appeared to have typified New Zealand’s hesitancy and impotency in the three games.
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But NZ’s middle and late order showed fight, with Sean Abbott’s tiptoeing catch to dismiss Glenn Phillips in the 46th over proving crucial.
Australia’s 267-5 in 50 overs after Williamson won the toss and inserted the opposition was the biggest team batting tally of the series, based chiefly around Steve Smith’s first ODI ton in two years and the 12th of his career.
Smith made 105 from 131 balls, featuring 11 fours and a six, and combined with Marnus Labuschagne (52) in a third-wicket partnership worth 118 which first rescued their side from their continuing opening woes before taking the game away from the visitors.
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NZ’s Glenn Phillips was caught on the boundary in the late run chase.
That allowed captain Aaron Finch to celebrate victory in his final ODI after announcing his retirement from the international 50-overs-a-side format prior on Saturday.
Finch, who had been out of form for some time and decided next year’s World Cup was a step too far, couldn’t make any contribution of note with the bat, surviving an early DRS scare only to perish for five rapidly after.
NZ made three changes from Thursday, with opener Finn Allen replacing veteran Martin Guptill, Phillips came in for Michael Bracewell and Lockie Ferguson deputised for Matt Henry, nursing a side strain.
Allen and Devon Conway showed some intent clearly missing in the previous two games to get NZ to 35-0 off seven overs in reply – a total it took them to the 20th over on Thursday to reach.
They got to 49-0 off 8 – they were six down before reaching that tally three days prior – but a controversial catch removed Conway (21) in the ninth over.
Phillips (47 off 53 balls), Jimmy Neesham (36 from 34 deliveries) and Mitchell Santner (30 from 33) got NZ in contention, but they were again unable to find a way to get past the hosts.
The big moment
Conway was caught by Smith at backward point off Sean Abbott with some uncertainty over whether the ball carried.
Umpires Paul Reiffel and Sam Nogajski gave a ‘soft signal’ of not out and while replays did appear to hint Smith had taken the chance without being conclusive, TV umpire Rod Tucker ruled Conway out.
It sparked a fall of five wickets for 63 as the run-rate steadily mounted.
Best with the bat
Run-scoring at Cazaly’s Stadium has looked a torturous exercise for almost every top-order batter over the past week.
But Steve Smith is a unique talent – despite Labuschagne’s flattering imitations – and he found a solution on Sunday after coming close to solving the puzzle in the previous match.
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Steve Smith sweeps on the way to his century.
Having blunted the perilous moments from Trent Boult and Tim Southee after another early arrival at the crease, Smith refused to be bothered by an initial dawdling run-rate as he found his touch and judged the pace of the wicket.
Once assured, he accelerated wonderfully to propel the hosts to a tally which proved beyond the reach of an underperforming NZ side.
Best with the ball
When Richard Hadlee was in his prime, English opener Graham Gooch famously – and not fully fairly – described facing the NZ bowling attack as “like the World XI at one end, and Ilford Second XI at the other”.
To use that simile again would be inaccurate about Boult’s supporting cast, but the newly-minted free agent was the only Black Caps contender in the ‘best’ category after a fantastic series.
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Trent Boult took 10 wickets for New Zealand during the series.
His 2-25 return in game three, when he again had the hosts jittery at the outset, stood out like a beacon and meant he ended the series with figures of 10-103 from 30 overs at 10.30, with an economy rate of 3.43.
The big picture
The beaten finalists in the 2019 one-day World Cup clearly have some work to do ahead of next year’s event in India.
But for now the focus switches to the shortest of international formats, with the Twenty20 World Cup starting across the Tasman in October.
The Black Caps will warm up for that tournament by hosting a tri-series at home against Pakistan and Bangladesh next month.
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